Hidden green behind silver
by Celtic Oak
Summary: A Hyuuga hides the secret passions of his heart well and does not indulge in them. But silver eyes reveal too much and the object of affection may decide to take things into her own hands. NejiSaku.
1. Secrets

**A/N: **I know most of you are going to _kill_ me for posting a new story… but it just couldn't be helped! XD I was completely stuck on _Destined Encounters_, so I decided to inspire myself by writing another Neji/Saku fic… don't ask me how this works, cause I'm not exactly sure, but I can assure you that it does! I know I promised to update the aforementioned fic, but Neji was being extremely problematic… sigh.

I'm really excited about this one since I've got it all planned out. It won't be very long, at the most 3 chapters, so I can go back to work on my other stories soon.

So, enough for now… I really hope you enjoy it!

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**SECRETS**

How does one manage to keep a forced distance from your object of affection for an indefinite period of time?

How _do_ you ignore those treacherous emotions of the heart which, in the most unexpected moments, threaten to come to the surface and express themselves?

A Hyuuga wasn't supposed to show any type of sentiment; a Hyuuga was supposed to be cool, calculating, never allowing the feelings of his spirit to filter through his judgments. A prodigy was not supposed to become infatuated; it simply did not happen. Never in the history of his family had such circumstances taken place… at least, not in the open, and he had vowed he would not be the first one to make it so. He would be going against years of tradition, where the males of the family behaved like unfeeling and uncaring bastards, never allowing themselves to wallow in the weakness of passion.

But one more time, Neji found himself rebelling against the establishments of his clan and slowly, he had let his emotions filter through his tightly held control. No matter how hard he tried to hide behind his stoic façade, his heart would always betray him by speaking its truth through the smallest of gestures. And thus, he now found himself in the situation he had desired and feared for a long time.

Haruno Sakura had been a revelation to him once Naruto had returned from his training with Jiraiya-sama. Even though they had lived in the same village, the pink haired kunoichi and the silver eyed prodigy had never crossed paths during those two years of the blond's absence. Both had been too concentrated on their respective trainings, too focused on becoming stronger in their own way. Neji had just achieved jounin level when they were sent on that initial mission to Sunagakure, to save the Kazekage from the clutches of Akatsuki.

It was then that he had seen her true light and after she saved Kankurou's life, after she fought against Sasori and bested him, the Hyuuga could do nothing but admire her vigor. From what he remembered, Sakura had always been the weakest member of team 7; too worked up with his own obsession concerning the workings of destiny, he had barely given her a glance during their first chuunin exam. He had only taken the time to admit that she was too fragile to become a true ninja and that she wasn't an adversary worthy of him.

How wrong he had been.

Once they saved Gaara from death with the help of Chiyo-sama, Neji was taken aback by the open display of emotion Sakura's tears had given them at the great sacrifice the old woman had performed. She was solid steel and soft silk all mixed into one… she was a walking contradiction, an amazingly powerful kunoichi who had escaped from the cage of her own limitations with sheer strength of will but who was incredibly in touch with her emotions and could show the greatest compassion for other people while she performed her duties as a medic nin.

Haruno Sakura was an enigma… full of fire, anger and with the power to destroy solid rock walls with her bare hands at a moment in time, but in the next minute, she would be the kindest and sweetest person you could ever talk to. Inevitably, Neji found himself drawn to the strange mix which encompassed this woman and he could do little to prevent his curiosity from getting the best of him.

On the way back to Konoha, while Gai-sensei carried Kakashi-san on his back, the silver eyed prodigy had hung back, walking near Naruto and Sakura at all time. Even though he didn't join in the conversation, he heard them talk to each other about everything they had done while they had been separated. It was in this way that Neji learned many things about Sakura in the time it took them to get back to their village. He suddenly knew that she had saved up money to get a place of her own, that she enjoyed working at Konoha's hospital, especially in the children's ward, that she sometimes found her sensei irritating due to her gambling problems and that she liked to take naps during sunny afternoons.

For the life of him, Neji did not know what use he would be able to discern from these facts, but he found himself filing them away in the back of his mind, as if saving them for future reference.

Naruto, however, did not allow him to continue his information gathering since the blond suddenly demanded that the silver eyed prodigy tell him about everything that he had done while he had been away. Sighing in resignation, Neji knew there was no way he could escape the interrogation, and considering the debt he owed Naruto, he wasn't in a position to turn him down.

Hence, he told them about his trainings, about his exams and how he had attained jounin level just a couple of days before leaving for their mission. The blond almost pulled his hair out when Neji told him this last bit of information and proceeded to rant about all the chances he had missed in climbing the shinobi ranks in Konoha thanks to his perverted teacher.

While Naruto kept ranting, Sakura approached Neji and congratulated him for his achievements with a wide smile, telling him in no small terms that what he had attained in such a short time was worthy of admiration. He thanked her stoically but internally, his heart swelled with the knowledge that she had giving him her approval and that she thought highly of him.

It was the key event which led to the deceitful workings of his heart.

He was made ANBU captain a few months after that and he spent little time in the village. But whenever he was home, he would make it a point to try and see Sakura, at least from a distance. He found himself attending all sorts of social events where he knew she would most likely be. At first, his friends were surprised to see him there, since he wasn't the most outgoing person in the world and had, up to that moment, kept his distance from such gatherings. Not that they were complaining, as they enjoyed his company very much and were in truth happy to see him more often. Neji didn't give them any clues as to the reason why he was going out more and was content to observe a certain pink haired kunoichi from afar.

But as it was the case, they shared the exact same group of friends; all of those who had taken their first chuunin exam together so long ago had formed close bonds and their friendships held throughout time. Therefore, Neji found himself coming closer and closer to Sakura as the days passed and he found that he could even strike up a casual conversation with her when he passed her 'accidentally' on the street.

Sakura would always be friendly with him, like she was with everyone else. She would stop, chat with him for a couple of minutes and then be on her way. Little did the pink haired kunoichi know that these small encounters meant a great deal to the Hyuuga prodigy, but he always made sure not to give anything away whenever they had any sort of contact. Neji had vowed that he would take his secret to the grave; he hadn't told anyone, not even Tenten, who had been his friend since early childhood and his confidante for many long years.

It was a useless cause anyway and the silver eyed Captain knew it. Around the village, Sakura's infatuation with Uchiha Sasuke was common knowledge and after the disastrous events surrounding Team 7, Neji was aware of the chaotic emotions that the kunoichi was surely experiencing, even after such a long time. Her heart belonged to someone else and the Hyuuga prodigy did not want to cause her any discomfort.

At first, he was absolutely content with observing her from a distance and to have only casual meetings on the street or at social gatherings. But his devious heart wanted more and he found himself pulled into its manipulative schemes. At one point, Sakura invited all of them to a dinner party and Neji found himself washing all the dishes for her before leaving; at other times, he found himself volunteering to walk her home after a night out, even though he knew very well that she could take care of herself. Surprisingly, Sakura had accepted his offers with a wide smile and she seemed to enjoy his quiet company.

It was when they met by true coincidence at a restaurant that the Hyuuga prodigy really started to worry. He was meeting Tenten for lunch, since she had some things she needed to talk to him about concerning a long-term mission she was thinking about accepting, but as was usually the case, the Weapon's Master was running late. So, he was waiting in silent contemplation at his table when the chair next to him was suddenly occupied by a smiling and talkative Sakura, who seemed to be overrunning with happiness at finding him there.

No shock filtered through his carefully controlled façade, but his heart gave a sudden leap when he found the object of his affection so close to him without any previous warning. She leaned in as she talked and from what he could discern through his surprise, she was waiting for someone as well and had been sitting, quite bored, a few tables away until she spotted her 'favorite ANBU Captain'. She giggled in humor as she said this but the effect of the words was not lost on Neji. He didn't know if he wanted to flee for his life or to stay with her at that table for the rest of the day.

They talked for a while, or at least, Sakura talked while the silver eyed jounin listened to her intently and watched her with hidden admiration. He enjoyed her company thoroughly and he always found himself smiling more often whenever she was around. But after a few minutes of listening to her, Neji felt his attention slipping and he shocked himself beyond belief with the thoughts which entered his mind.

As he looked at her, emerald eyes sparkling with the words she was saying as she casually rested her chin on one hand while playing with the napkin holder on the table with the other, he found himself amazed at how truly beautiful she was. And as a bang of cherry hair slipped over her eyes and she flicked it back with her hand, Neji found himself wondering if her hair was truly as soft as it seemed.

When the thought crossed his mind, he found his hand twitching with the need to caress her pink locks and could only prevent himself from reaching out by sheer force of will. He was suddenly _furious_ with himself for thinking such things, for almost giving away the secret knowledge of his heart. It would do him no good to give in to his deceitful feelings and would only hurt her in return as she would be forced to let him know that she loved someone else.

Something must have filtered through his face, since Sakura stopped momentarily and asked him if he was alright. He looked up directly into her jewel eyes for an instant in time, but as he was about to voice his reply and to tell her that everything was fine, Ino stepped up and interrupted him. Seemingly, she was Sakura's lunch date and with another one of her many smiles, the pink haired kunoichi stood up and said farewell to Neji as both women made their way towards a table at the back of the restaurant.

Tenten arrived shortly after that and having known the prodigious jounin for a while now, she immediately noticed his distraction.

"Neji, are you ok?" she said in greeting. "You look like if you've just had a disagreement with your uncle."

"I'm fine," he answered her, not wanting to discuss the subject at all.

"Alright, but if there's anything you want to talk about, you know where to find me."

He thanked her for her concern but left it at that. Afterwards, when he had parted ways with Tenten, he went straight home to train. He worked his body like he had never done before, punishing himself for almost giving in to his weakness. He released his anger by pushing his chakra system to his limits and exercised his Byakugan until he couldn't take anymore. Exhausted, he dropped unto his futon until very late that night, wanting nothing more than to be swallowed into the oblivion of sleep. But he never got his rest, since visions of pink hair and emerald eyes haunted him and he lingered endlessly in that fine line between wakefulness and slumber.

Consequently, Hyuuga Neji was in a notorious mood for the next couple of weeks and he dedicated himself to his missions full heartedly, not wanting to have any contact with anyone else apart from what was strictly necessary. Lee and Kiba inquired after him one day and came to see him, but Neji just told them that the Hokage had scheduled many missions for him and that he was powerless to do anything about it.

Losing himself in his work, he was surprised to find that two months had gone by without him seeing Sakura even once. This, however, didn't mean that his heart didn't ache silently from the lack of contact but he swallowed his weakness and continued with his life.

It was then that he had been called to Tsunade-sama's office, only to find a team of shinobi already gathered there. To his shock, Sakura was part of the gathering and she was sitting near the Hokage's desk; she smiled brightly at him when he sat down in the reserved seat next to her.

She was more beautiful than he remembered her to be. His breathing got caught in his throat and he had the suspicion that the reactions his body was having at her closeness were only intensified by his failure to see her in so long.

Hyuuga Neji reminded himself of the task at hand and forced himself to pay attention to what their leader was saying instead of focusing on Sakura's crossed legs which were perilously close to his own. Why did she have to wear those shorts and those boots _all_ the time?

Thankfully, Tsunade-sama started briefing them on the mission they were about to undertake and the silver eyed jounin found his mind concentrating elsewhere.

A group of men, some of them renegade shinobi from different villages, had taken a politician hostage and it was said that they were led by a missing nin from Konoha. The mission was supposed to be a rescue operation but they would try to eliminate the renegade nin at the same time. That's were Neji came in. He could consider this an ANBU task since he would assassinate the man at the first opportunity, and due to his expertise, he would be leading the mission.

The group were said to be hiding somewhere near the border of the Mist country and it would be their task to track them out and bring the politician back. The men weren't supposed to be a problem, since they weren't terribly skilled ninjas, and they couldn't possibly make a stand against a group of fully qualified shinobi. Their leader, however, was a different story, since he had a history of being extremely clever at hiding and at ambushing his adversaries. This was the reason why Neji had been selected, since with his Byakugan, he would be able to see through the renegade's schemes effortlessly.

The meeting was adjourned and they all agreed to set out at first light the next morning. As everyone walked out of the office, Neji was surprised to find Sakura at his side as he made his way down the corridor.

"Haven't seen you in a while," she told him, a rueful grin on her face.

He only nodded in response, trying to hide his confusion. If he didn't know better, he would've thought she was hinting that she had missed having him around.

"I've heard you've been busy…"

"Yes I have," he told her, his voice steady. "ANBU has been extremely active lately."

"I know. Tsunade-sensei told me you've been volunteering for almost every mission," she said, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

Neji felt as if a bowling ball had fallen on the pit of his stomach. The Hokage would _obviously_ tell her; she was her prized student, after all! And now she would ask him why… he simply knew it… and then, he would have to tell her the truth, because a Hyuuga never lied, no matter the circumstances. It was a code of conduct which had been engraved into his very being from the moment he was born.

He would have to tell her and she would have to reject him.

But as they reached the double doors of Konoha's headquarters, some merciful deity answered his silent prayers.

"Just try not to wear yourself out," she told him as she stopped momentarily on the steps, "it wouldn't be nice if you showed up with an exhausted chakra system at the hospital and I would have to treat you."

Neji found himself exhaling in relief.

"I promise I won't" he told her, a smile slipping from his lips.

"Good, because if you don't, I will personally make sure you don't move a muscle for at least a week," she replied with a mischievous grin.

The ANBU Captain thought he would die at the roguish expression on her face and he found himself speaking before he could prevent himself.

"I'd like to see you try".

As the words left his mouth, he slapped himself mentally and he wanted nothing more than for the earth to open up under his feet and swallow him whole.

"Is that a challenge, Hyuuga-san?" Sakura replied, her smile widening as she took a step closer to him.

If prodigies were allowed to break into a cold sweat, Neji was sure he would've done so then. But he was already in up to his knees, so if he was going to do this, he might as well do it right.

"It depends on how you look at it," he told her, gazing directly into her emerald eyes.

Sakura laughed then, shaking her head as she chuckled. "Well, we'll just have to see then," she said as she came even closer. She stopped only until she was a hairsbreadth away and looked up at him, returning his silver stare squarely, a glint in her green gaze.

"See you tomorrow," she finally said, breaking eye contact as she started walking down the street.

Neji stood on the steps watching her walk away until she turned a corner and was gone. What the hell had just happened he wasn't sure, but all he knew was that Sakura had approached him on her own and had, from what he could tell, attempted to flirt with him.

For the life of him, he didn't know how this could be possible.

Not wanting to think too much on it, Neji forced himself to concentrate on the upcoming mission and commenced to plan all the possible strategies with which he could confront the missing nin he was supposed to eliminate. But once he reached his home and started packing his necessary equipment, he was once more disturbed by cherry filled images.

He was going on a mission and Haruno Sakura would be part of his team. This would be the trial he had been dreading for a long time, where he would see if he was capable of preventing his emotions from clouding his judgments. But this was also the circumstance he had been dreaming secretly of as well… how many time had he wished for Sakura to be by his side during all those long and tedious missions? How many times had he craved for her presence all those nights where he found himself sleeping out in the open?

He knew it was merely wishful thinking but it had taken him a very long time to admit that he wanted to fight side by side with her, to see if they worked well as a team. Neji had always secretly told himself that if he ever came to share his life with a woman, then she would have to be able keep up with him in combat in her own way and would have to be his partner in every sense of the word.

Now, he would be getting his chance to test the woman he had laid eyes on and he found himself torn between the opposing desires of his mind and his heart. One of these two inner forces would eventually have to give in, or else he was sure he would lose his sanity… but which one it would be, he simply could not tell.

The odds were completely even, since he knew, deep down inside that he couldn't possibly be ruled by his emotions for it went against everything he had been taught in his life. Feelings made you weak and indulging in them was something a Hyuuga _did not_ do. Besides, Sakura was interested in someone else and he couldn't possibly even attempt to compete against her long-time infatuation with Uchiha Sasuke. This whole scenario was simply pointless.

But then, his treacherous heart brought up the image of a grinning Sakura, mischief evident in her radiant eyes as she spoke to him while standing perilously near. A sliver of hope crawled up his spine and he found himself contemplating the possibility of her actually returning his interest. She had approached him herself and had engaged him in conversation openly. At least he was sure that she enjoyed his company… so why couldn't it be possible that she may want something more?

Shaking his head fiercely, Hyuuga Neji decided it was time he put a stop to such idiotic thoughts. He had a mission to lead and he was not going to let matters such as these distract him in the least. Being an ANBU Captain brought great responsibility and he refused to put the lives of his team members at risk just because of a foolish obsession with a kunoichi.

If his uncle ever got word of what was going on in his mind, Neji was sure he would be banished from the clan forever. Prodigious shinobi never let their emotions get in the way of what needed to be done and he promised himself, then and there, that he wouldn't be the exception.

The silver eyed jounin continued to pack his things with barely controlled violence, blatantly ignoring the aching part of his heart which protested against his decision.

XXXXXXXXXX

She knew she was crazy… completely and absolutely crazy. But at least she could partially blame Ino for it.

Sakura had always prided herself for being exceedingly aware of her surroundings and of whatever went on around her, but this time, she had been caught completely off guard.

At first, she had thought that Neji's attentions were merely because he was an extremely polite person. He had been brought up in a household where everything was about manners and respect, therefore, he had always been more than proper with everyone he related to. It was the natural way in which he behaved and there was nothing else to it. Thus, just because he walked her home more often than not or that they had grown really close these past few months didn't mean a _thing_.

But then, he had to look directly into her eyes for a single moment when they were sitting together at that restaurant a couple of months back… and everything suddenly turned upside down.

The pink haired medic admitted it: she had been scared to _death_. Therefore, she had fled beside Ino and had chosen a table as far as possible from the ANBU Captain.

The blond had obviously picked up on the situation, since she had been standing while watching their interaction for a bit and had only decided to intervene when Neji had given Sakura 'the look' and the pink haired medic's body language suddenly spoke clearly of panic. Knowing they wouldn't be able to talk openly with the Hyuuga and his ever-seeing eyes so close by, Ino had decided they needed to make a run for it and they promptly went out the back door.

As they sat down at another restaurant down the street, Sakura didn't know what to say. Everything she had ever thought of Neji was suddenly being brought into new light and Ino was completely merciless in her interrogation. She forced her to analyze every single detail which had happened during the last few months and the conclusions they were both coming to did not sit well with the emerald eyed kunoichi.

"How could we _not_ see this?" Ino exclaimed with equal parts frustration and excitement.

"Ino, I don't think…"

"Come on, Sakura! This is your chance!"

"My chance?" the pink haired medic asked in confusion.

"Yes! This is your chance to finally prove to yourself that you're finally over Sasuke!" her friend exclaimed with enthusiasm.

Reluctantly, Sakura knew there was some truth behind her friend's words but she didn't like were this was going. True, she had often talked to Ino concerning her desire to forget the Uchiha, at least in a romantic kind of way. Her heart had been too devastated when he had left to ever forgive his betrayal, and even though she didn't hate him, she had finally decided that a man who had hurt her more times than she could count could not possibly be any good for her. It was something which had taken her _years_ to decide, even though the effort had been worth it.

But there was a great difference between saying or thinking something and actually acting it out.

"… and don't think I've forgotten all the little things you've told me about Neji," Ino was saying, a crafty look in her blue eyes, "I know you like him!"

"Of course I like him," Sakura replied defensively. "He's the nicest and most polite person in Konoha."

"Listen, sweety," Ino told her, turning serious all of a sudden, "I'm not going to push you into having a relationship with him or anything like that. But I want you to think about it real hard… what harm can there be if you get to know Neji just a little bit better? Sakura, after all you've been through, the least you deserve is a man like him."

Mercifully, Ino had left it at that but Sakura's mind wouldn't let the matter go so easily. That night, she had tossed and turned in her bed, trying to forget the way Neji's silver eyes had pierced through her, letting her know of his hidden emotions. It had only been for a fraction of a second but it had been enough. Never in her life had she experienced such an intense look from a man, and Sakura found that it scared her and thrilled her at the same time.

Helplessly, she found herself remembering all those small encounters they had had and she recalled the way his face would light up whenever he smiled. She knew his raven hair reached almost to his waist but he preferred to have it tied up in a high pony tail, preventing it from getting in his way while he was fighting. The light of the sun would reflect in his locks beautifully, bathing it with brilliant black-blue hues as he walked casually down the street.

Sakura recalled one time when she had met him on her way to Tsunade-sensei's office; he had just come back from reporting on a mission and was wearing his ANBU uniform while his feline mask hung loosely from his neck. The pink haired kunoichi hadn't been able to prevent herself from staring at his well-built form as he strolled down the corridor, the sleeveless shirt he was wearing openly revealing the corded muscles of his arms. Neji had stopped to greet her and all she could do was look at him, pretending to admire his ANBU tattoo as an excuse for her staring. They exchanged a few casual words and then he was on his way.

Of course he was handsome, _everyone_ knew that. Hyuuga Neji was one of the most sought-after bachelors in all of Konoha! He had always been extremely attractive and it was every kunoichi's reverie to be his object of affection, not that he indulged in that sort of relationship, but still, a girl could dream. Therefore, Sakura openly admitted his good looks, but she had long ago filed him away as one of those men who were simply 'out of her league'. That done, she had no qualms about having an honest friendship with him and hadn't spared the situation another thought.

And then he had to go and complicate things…

Days passed and Sakura simply couldn't erase the vision of silver eyes from her mind. Going through her days wanting and dreading to meet him at the same time, it was only after a while that she began to notice Neji's absence. She had gone out of her way to put on a pretty dress one night the group had decided to go out, but she had been thoroughly disappointed when Lee had told her that the prodigy was currently out on a mission.

Ino noticed her misery straight away and told her not to worry, that he would turn up eventually… except that he didn't. A month and a half had suddenly passed since Sakura had last seen him and she was starting to get annoyed. One would think he was doing it on purpose but Neji wasn't the type of man who did that sort of thing. She found herself staying up late without sleeping just to think about him and went about her everyday tasks with thoughts of him in the back of her mind. How this had come to happen, she wasn't sure, but she found her infatuation with the Hyuuga growing by the minute.

So, somewhere between her irritation and her desire to see him, Haruno Sakura consciously decided that if he didn't come to her, she would go to him. This meant she would have to be sneaky about the whole thing, but one didn't have the fifth Hokage as a mentor and friend for nothing.

Tsunade merely lifted an elegant eyebrow on the day her student came barging into her office, asking that she be assigned on a mission with ANBU Captain Hyuuga Neji. She was about to ask the reason behind her request, but one good look at her pupil's eyes and the way she was biting her lower lip nervously was enough for her to realize the cause. The Hokage laughed out loud and congratulated Sakura on her choice, saying she couldn't have picked a better man. She then proceeded to let her know of Neji's strange mission habits as of late and let her know that the prodigy was basically working himself to the bone.

The pink haired medic narrowed her eyes in suspicion at this information, but decided to let it slip for the time being. The stage was finally set and nothing would come between her and her goal. Neji was obviously having certain denial problems with his emotions, which was completely predictable, and the least she could do was to help him along the way… even if it meant that she needed to use every trick in the book.

One simply did not let the opportunity slip when you realized that a renowned, sweet and gorgeously handsome prodigy had feelings for you… Sakura was smarter than that. She didn't know where any of this was going, but life was opening a door for her and she refused not to walk through it.

Now, the day had come and she found herself standing by the gates of Konoha with the rest of the team, waiting for their Captain to arrive.

As she watched Neji arrive a few minutes later, she knew she was officially insane. He came up to her and greeted her with a smile, but quickly moved towards the rest of the shinobi assembled, ready to depart. Sakura found herself momentarily regretting her decision, since she suddenly realized that he would behave completely 'professional' throughout the whole mission. But she steeled her resolve and decided that, if he wanted to play the game of hiding behind his duty, then she would just have to beat him at it.

If he thought she would sit still and passive waiting for him to make his move, then he was in for a surprise. If there was something Sakura had learnt from her experiences with Sasuke was the fact that in life, you couldn't let the days pass you by while you sat idly doing nothing. You needed to go out and fight for what you desired, for what you wanted; you needed to tell the people you loved how you felt, because you never knew when they would disappear from your life.

She had vowed to never make that same mistake twice.

The team stepped outside the gate, their formation already assembled. They were a group of six, therefore, they would travel in pairs the whole time. Sakura's partner was another young chuunin named Garu, with who she had been on missions before. Neji would be traveling at the end of the line with the other jounin on the team, Taji. They were the top ranking members of the group and would ensure the rear defense.

Sakura was the only female on the team but she didn't mind. She found herself surrounded by males more often than not and found she could behave completely at ease with them, which wasn't the case with some kunoichi… especially a certain blond friend of hers.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when she realized it was time to leave and saw the first pair of the team jump up into the trees.

Walking up to the tree line, she passed Neji who had by now put on his ANBU mask, and decided to deign him with one of her most charming smiles as she walked by. She couldn't see his face, but she was an expert in reading body language; Neji's shoulders tensed and she swore she saw him fist his right hand before she had been forced to look away.

Chuckling slightly after she had jumped into the trees along with Garu, Sakura could clearly hear the sounds of the two jounins as they came into step a small distance behind them.

"What are you laughing at?" Garu asked with a grin as they jumped from branch to branch.

"Oh nothing," Sakura replied matching his smile, "I just think I'm going to have a lot of fun on this mission."

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Read and review everybody! Your thoughts are much appreciated. 


	2. Mission

**A/N:** Wow, you guys are really liking this one, aren't you? Hehe. I must warn you that this chapter ended up pretty long, since I refused to cut it in half and I didn't want to make this story any longer. There's one chapter left and I promise I'll put it up ASAP.

Nothing much to say except that a hormonal Neji can be extremely fun to write! XD

_Disfruten!_

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**MISSION**

The situation he had been dreaming of for months was actually turning out to be something close to a nightmare. As he sat on top of a tree after having volunteered to take the first watch, Hyuuga Neji breathed deeply, a little more than concerned with the way things were progressing.

He had promised himself, _damn it_. He had vowed to himself that he wouldn't give any of his emotions free reign or to let them disturb the duties he needed to perform. After exercising such tight control over himself for such a long time, he was certain that he would've been able to handle it for the 5 days or so that their mission was supposed to last.

But Sakura's closeness was a factor he had naively overlooked and having her at such close proximity for extended periods of time was wreaking havoc on his senses… and on his mind.

Neji had never thought himself a jealous man; he had never thought of things in terms of possessions and he certainly did not think of other people in such a way. But the ease with which Sakura interacted with Garu, the casual way in which they spoke all day long to each other as they traveled, the way the young male chuunin looked at her… it had opened a whole new perspective to life which Neji had been previously unaware of.

He had _glared_. Behind his ANBU mask, the Hyuuga clan's number one prodigy had explicitly glared. As they journeyed through Konoha's extended forest all through the day he could not help but glower at Garu's back as he joked and laughed with the pink haired kunoichi. Something had sparked inside of him and it had grown as the hours passed. At first, the Captain had no idea what it was; he only knew that he was feeling the worst kind of irritation he had experienced in a very long time and it was directed towards the male shinobi traveling in front of him.

It was only when the team stopped to have a quick midday meal that the Hyuuga finally realized what was wrong with him. They were settling down around a small clearing and Sakura was rummaging through her pack as she looked for her food. As she stood up, Garu had been standing behind her without her noticing it and she bumped directly into him. The chuunin caught her as she stumbled forward, mumbling all sort of apologies for being so careless.

But Neji's silver eyes had clearly observed the way in which his hands had lingered overly long on the skin of her arms and how he seemed reluctant to let her go. The scene caused such an intense and furious rage to ignite inside his stomach that his Byakugan activated without him having any control over it. Glad that he still had his mask on to cover his reaction, the prodigy forced himself to calm down, to analyze the situation.

There was _absolutely_ no reason for him to have reacted in such a way and it was probably due to the fact that his treacherous emotions were getting the best of him. He took his food and sat down at a small distance from the whole group, intent on thinking things through. After contemplating the circumstances for a few moments, he was reluctant to admit that he had just experienced what people called 'a fit of jealously'. He had always thought himself above such petty emotional responses but it seemed that he had been wrong. Wanting nothing more than to bury Garu using his juken until he was sprawled like a rag doll on the ground, Neji envisioned the scene perfectly and managed to calm his anger somewhat.

In truth, he was disgusted with himself for sinking to such low levels. He had absolutely no hold over Sakura and she could be friends with whoever she wanted… she could be with whatever man she chose to and he didn't have a say about it. It was as simple as that. What he needed to do was to control himself or else this mission would be a failure. There was no point in wasting his time over such useless things.

Having reached a satisfactory decision, Neji took off his mask and proceeded to dig into his meal. But he was unexpectedly interrupted a few moments later when he felt someone approach him. He looked towards the incoming figure from the corner of his eye and was utterly surprised to find Sakura coming his way.

"Hey there, lonesome," she said to him with a smile as she sat down next to him.

He only nodded at her and kept eating, trying to ignore the way his heart wanted to burst out of his chest at her sudden nearness. They ate quietly for a while, each one lost in their private thoughts, enjoying their meal together.

"I'm glad you took it off," Sakura said suddenly, breaking the companionable silence.

Neji only raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, silently voicing his confusion.

"Your mask," the pink haired kunoichi explained as she blushed slightly, "I like it better when you're not wearing it."

The silver eyed Captain looked down momentarily at the feline mask hanging from his neck, attempting to avoid her eyes completely. He wasn't sure what she meant with her words but he felt his breathing quicken slightly.

A sudden insight flashed through his mind at that moment and he felt a thrill of hope make its way into his heart. He looked up suddenly, meeting her emerald eyes directly and found something elusive but not unwelcome in their depths.

He smiled then. "Well, I couldn't eat while wearing it, could I?"

Sakura looked at him in perplexity for a moment until she realized that he was actually joking with her. Her gleeful laughter echoed clearly all through the clearing and Neji relished in the sound of it. He knew that his attempts at humor weren't the best in the world, but if he could manage to make her laugh like that more often, he would declare himself a satisfied man.

The group was on their way again a few minutes afterwards and Neji once more took his place at the rear of the team along with Taji. His jealous impulses had lessened somewhat, but the way Garu talked so overly familiar with Sakura still caused him to clench is teeth in irritation every so often.

Despite the fact that Sakura had expressed her preference concerning his mask, the prodigy decided to keep it on, since this allowed him to scowl at much as he wanted at the young male chuunin without anyone noticing, especially her. Either way, it was strict ANBU procedure for a member, not to say a Captain, to have his or her mask on at all times during a mission. One never knew when the opportunity to kill the appointed enemy would present itself and the need to remain anonymous was crucial for a hunter nin.

They traveled through the rest of the afternoon uneventfully. They would be reaching the borders of the Mist country by midday the next day and then the task of tracking down the renegade ninja group would begin. Neji chose an appropriate sleeping ground for the team to settle in for the night and volunteered to take the first watch; Benji, another one of the chuunins, and lastly Garu would take the next watches.

As they all started to settle down among the roots of the trees, Neji noticed the aforementioned chuunin making his way, sleeping roll in hand, towards the place where Sakura was already settled. Quick as lighting, the silver eyed jounin didn't know what propelled him to such actions but he found himself putting his bedroll down on the only available space next to the pink haired kunoichi, earning a hidden glare from Garu.

Acting as if he hadn't noticed, the Hyuuga prodigy proceeded to arrange his things, unaware of the fact that Sakura was eyeing him suspiciously. He turned around once he was finished and found her watching him while sitting on her stretched sleeping roll.

"Making sure no monsters attack me during the night?" she asked, that mischievous grin on her face again.

"Maybe," he answered noncommittally, but a spark in his silver eyes betrayed the stoic expression of his features.

The pink haired medic chuckled slightly as she rose to her feet next to him and leaned towards his tall form. "Well, I'll surely sleep better knowing you're beside me," she whispered, her words meant for his ears only.

With that, she whipped around and headed to help Juro, who was by then kindling a fire to prepare their supper a small distance away.

Neji watched her receding form in amazement, frozen to the spot, completely taken aback by the words she had just spoken. He didn't want to think too much about it but his body was already sending visions to his mind of what could happen during the night with their bedrolls so close together… an exchange of heated whispers, her taste on his tongue as he ran his hands through her cherry hair…

'_STOP IT!_' he thought fiercely, halting the unbidden assault of his hormones. This was not a moment to get all worked up over such things. He was an ANBU Captain and he was on a mission. That was the only thing which was supposed to be going through his mind.

But a few hours later, he found himself keeping watch while sitting on a nearby tree, his mind is disarray over the events of the day. His team was sleeping peacefully beneath him but his silver eyes could not prevent themselves from gazing down to the sleeping form of the group's medic every two minutes.

Sakura was effectively cracking the walls of his tightly held control and he wasn't sure what he would do if she managed to break them down. For both their sakes, he needed to remind himself of his responsibilities, speaking them like a mantra over and over again inside his head.

For the first time in his life, Hyuuga Neji was unsure if he would emerge unscathed from a mission.

XXXXXXXXXX

A demon had possessed her; that was the only plausible explanation which could elucidate her behavior.

When Sakura had planned her strategy of asking Tsunade to set her up for the mission, she had clearly intended to keep an eye on Neji from a certain distance, intent on simply evaluating his conduct and reactions. She didn't plan on throwing herself on him at the first chance she got, that was not the type of girl she was. So she had decided she would study him before she decided to take any further action.

But theory and actual practice differed greatly… especially when one found herself utterly and terribly attracted to the object of study.

She swore that an evil spirit had taken over her body and had forced her to say the words she had said. She had explicitly told him that she liked to see his face and had openly flirted with him by voicing a likely innuendo when she found him preparing his sleeping roll next to hers…

For the umpteenth time that day, Sakura reminded herself that she was completely and absolutely insane.

She turned inside her bedroll, looking for a comfortable position to sleep in, but she knew that slumber was far from coming. Opening her eyes, she saw Neji's empty bedroll a hand's length away from hers and knew that if she concentrated enough, she could smell his intoxicating fragrance radiating from it.

Which was another contributing factor to the increment of her insanity. She found that she simply _loved_ the way he smelled… fresh and clean, like the rain, and undeniably masculine. He bathed everything he touched with his scent and she could barely prevent herself from coming closer to his sleeping roll and burying her nose in it. The fact that she knew he was watching over the camp site from a vantage point up in a tree kept her frozen to the spot.

The pink haired medic wasn't sure if she would be able to keep a safe distance from him for the rest of the mission. Praying for them to find the renegade group quickly, she wished for this whole thing to be over. Neji's closeness was doing strange things to her hormones and the worst part was that she was actually enjoying it. And the fact that his ANBU uniform only accentuated the well-built body it covered wasn't helping either.

Sakura found that she was quickly developing a small obsession over his arms. The way his biceps would tighten when he was going about his everyday movements was enough to make her catch her breath… and not to mention the way his ANBU tattoo rippled when he did this peculiar movement with his shoulder…

It was suddenly too hot inside her bedroll and the pink haired medic found herself breathing deeply in an attempt to calm herself. She really needed to get some sleep since tomorrow would definitely be a long day but visions of a certain silver eyed jounin kept her from getting some rest.

Summoning a very useful technique she had learned during her long medic training, the pink haired kunoichi forced her chakra system to slow down and purposely lowered the activities of her body, simulating a state of deep sleep. It took her mind just a few moments to catch up with her body and she was finally able fall into slumber.

But even as she slept, visions of raven hair and silver eyes flashed behind her eyes throughout the whole night.

XXXXXXXXXX

They were in a dire situation and Neji knew it. He had discovered the enemy's trap easily but Benji hadn't received his warning up in front on time and had stepped on the triggered wire.

A large explosion ensued, sending the team flying in all directions, trapped in the wave of its blast. They recovered quickly, however, and returned to the spot to commence the fighting. Despite this fact, they had been caught completely off guard and the enemy had all the advantage: they had chosen the battle ground and were using it against them.

Neji knew they would have to make a momentary retreat and then regroup, but even though they weren't terribly skilled, the renegade nin were fighting viciously and did not allow his team to disengage. They were seriously outnumbered, which normally wouldn't have been a problem, but due to the circumstances, it could prove deadly if they didn't act soon. Therefore, he would have to take things into his own hands.

Giving the order to retreat he came out into the open, engaging two enemy shinobi at the same time. His team didn't hesitate on following his orders and started back to the chosen rendezvous point. As the renegade group started going after the Captain's retreating comrades, the Hyuuga prodigy commenced the spin of his Kaiten, sending the closest nins flying back with the energy of his technique. None of them could come near him, even though they tried, and a few of the most inexperienced men lost their lives because of it.

When he decided that his team had had enough time to cover a decent distance, he stopped his spin and started to follow them, jumping up into the surrounding trees. The enemy obviously wouldn't let him go that easily and they came behind him fast.

But as he passed some branches, he found Sakura and Taji waiting for him and as he went by, they fired a volley of explosive kunai at the pursuing ninjas. This didn't stop them but it was enough to slow them down considerably. Picking up speed, the three of them pumped their feet with chakra and caught up with the rest of the team some distance ahead.

They kept going, not wanting to stop until they made sure they had lost the enemy and continued while following the course of the river at the edge of the forest. But Neji's Byakugan spotted an incoming nin towards their right, coming directly towards an oblivious Juro, who was up in front. In a burst of speed, the Captain launched himself forward, intercepting the nin's thrown shuriken with his own shoulder and engaging him in combat. Ordering his team to keep going forward, the silver eyed jounin realized that another two ninjas were coming his way. They were nothing he couldn't take care of, but he suddenly found his movements slowing down involuntarily.

He didn't have time to think about this though and he turned round to face the three ninjas at the same time. But Sakura was suddenly beside him; she sent a deadly punch towards one of his attackers, sending him flying back into the trees with the intensity of her blow.

They were now two on two, but Neji found that his body was simply not responding to the orders his brain was sending it. Inevitably, one of the shinobi landed a blow, forcing him to lose his balance and he fell head first into the river below, partially hitting the back of his skull against a rock.

"NEJI!" Sakura screamed as she watched him fall, but the two enemies were suddenly in front of her. Anger quickly took over and the pink haired kunoichi sent a deadly kick towards the nin on her left, her foot connecting directly with his ribs. She heard the bones crack as the man screamed in pain and he tumbled into the water beneath them.

Not sparing a moment, she turned towards the remaining attacker. She sent a combo of punches his way, but he dodged them. However, he hadn't accurately measured the width of the branch they were fighting on and his feet met thin air as he fell as well.

The pink haired medic was already running before he hit one of the rocks with an agonizing scream. Not allowing herself time to ponder what useless ninjas their enemies truly were, she followed the river with amazing speed, using her chakra to spurt her forwards.

Thankfully, she found Neji's floating body a few minutes later and she jumped down from the trees. Plunging into the rapids without a second thought, she swam towards him as fast as she could. She reached him after much effort and proceeded to drag him towards the shore. Fortunately, he had been floating with his face barely above the water but this didn't mean he hadn't swallowed any of the liquid.

Summoning her strength as she activated her chakra, she pulled him towards the shallows. Once her feet reached the bottom, it became easier but it was still difficult to actually pull Neji out of the water. After a few moments, she lay him down on a patch of grass next to the shore and she pressed her ear to his chest. Luckily he was breathing, but he was completely unconscious. Checking his head for injury, she found a large bump forming at the back of his skull; she soothed it with her chakra filled hands and realized that it wasn't serious even though he would probably have a pounding head ache when he woke up.

It was then that she noticed that his shoulder was bleeding. She lifted the material of his shirt and recognized the wound as a shuriken injury but what worried her the most was the color of the blood coming out of it. It was deep purple and it spoke clearly of poison.

She went to work immediately and she ripped Neji's shirt off so she could have easier access to the wound. Performing the hand seals for her neutralize poison jutsu, she placed her hands over the injury, pumping her chakra into the damaged tissue. Some of the venom had made its way into his blood system so she would have to purify that as well.

Working intently on him for at least fifteen minutes, Sakura was happy to finally finish the neutralization and was glad that the poison wasn't anything even similar to the one she had saved Kankurou from. She allowed herself to sit back for a moment, somewhat tired from her exertions.

It was then that she realized that she had no clue to where they might be since the river had carried them down a long distance. She also needed to find a place so that Neji could rest until he woke up, which could be anytime between now and a few hours. Even though his wound wouldn't bleed anymore, it definitely needed to be bandaged and treated with antibiotics.

Looking around, Sakura spotted a large stone leaning against some immense protruding roots of a tree. It created small cave-like opening and she decided this was the best option she was going to get.

She carried their backpacks, which were soaking wet, over to their improvised sanctuary first. Luckily, the ground was partially covered with moss, which would provide a perfect 'bed' for Neji.

Returning to the place where the Captain was resting, she activated her chakra and called on her strength as she partially knelt behind his head. She carefully picked him up and hooked her arms under his, lifting his upper torso from the ground. Thankfully, the place she had chosen wasn't that far away but she did have to maneuver around some boulders to get to it. It took her some time to drag Neji the whole way and once she made it, she placed him down gently among the moss.

Quickly, she went out of their hiding place to erase the marks the Captain's legs had left as she dragged him, making sure no visible signs were left which could give away their position. Once she had secured the perimeter, Sakura returned to his side and went through her pack, looking for her ever-present supply of bandages.

It was then that she turned round to face him and realized the situation she had inadvertently gotten herself into. Here he was, the Hyuuga prodigy, shirtless and unconscious in front of her, blissfully unaware of anything she might do to him.

She could stare at him all she wanted and found herself doing just that. Admiring the way his chest rose and fell with his breathing, her eyes traveled down to his muscled abdomen and lingered on his bellybutton. For the life of her, she didn't know why she found it so appealing and she itched to reach out and touch it. But there was still too much to take in and her emerald eyes moved upwards over his arms.

The temptation was too much and Sakura found that her hand had a life of its own as it reached out and caressed the corded muscle of his bicep. Her fingertips continued to go higher and traced the outlines of his ANBU tattoo, completely enthralled with the feel of his skin. As she was about to reach up to his face, she immediately stopped herself, suddenly appalled with what she was doing.

For the love of her sensei, she was a medic nin, damn it! Neji was a comrade in need and it was imperative that she take care of his injuries and watch over him while he healed. What she had just done was completely disrespectful and not to say unethical. How could she ever face Tsunade-sama and tell her she had groped her patient while he was out cold?

Blushing fiercely to the roots of her hair, the pink haired kunoichi took the bandages which lay unused in her lap and steeled her resolve. She proceeded to wrap his shoulder in the most professional manner after she smeared his wound with an antibiotic cream she always carried with her. Once she was done, she took up the torn shirt she had taken off from Neji and placed it in a bundle under his head so it could act as a pillow.

Realizing that his hair was still dripping from his little 'swim', she wrung it out for him to take out the excess of water so it would dry quicker. As she held his raven locks in her hands, she was amazed at how really long it was. Arranging it in a neat fashion to his side, she thought about what else she could do to make him more comfortable.

_His trousers are soaking wet too_, Inner Sakura interrupted all of a sudden.

Emerald eyes couldn't avoid looking down at his pants and the kunoichi's blush intensified tenfold. Trust her inner persona to make such a comment!

'Shut up!' she replied inside her mind.

_Come on… just a little peak? He never has to know!_

'**I** would know!'

Standing up in a single fluid movement, Sakura decided she needed to keep herself busy before she did something she regretted. She picked up her pack and started to take everything out of it so it could dry better. A little sunshine was shining through the overcast and she stretched her extra set of clothes in a patch of sunlight to accelerate the drying process; she took out a blanket and put it out as well. She looked over at Neji's pack and thought about doing the same for him.

_It's the least you can do!_ Inner Sakura said, her curiosity to see what was inside the Captain's bag more than a little evident.

Rolling her eyes, the pink haired medic decided she would look for an extra shirt of his and put it out to dry so he could have something to wear when he woke up. Picking up his pack, she looked around inside trying not to purposely look at anything at the same time and found the shirt she was looking for. It was completely soaked, just like her own clothes, so she put it down on another sunlit patch nearby.

Now, all she could do was wait… and waiting meant she had nothing else to do but to stare at Neji's deliciously exposed and well-built torso…

_Change his pants!_ Her inner voice piped in.

'NO!'

But as the thought crossed her mind, she looked in his bag once again and pulled out another set of trousers for him. They were a bit shorter than the ones he currently had on, like the ones he used to wear before, and would probably reach just below his knees. Placing them next to his shirt, Sakura looked around, trying to find something to keep herself busy with.

Hence, she decided she would arrange the contents of her backpack and make sure that the medicines she carried hadn't gotten too wet. Her medic training had always stipulated that she carry her stuff in plastic bags, since you could never tell when incidents like the one she had just experienced would happen. Going over her small bottles, envelopes and scrolls she was surprised to find that almost two hours had passed when she felt something wet sprinkle on her shoulder.

Hesitant emerald eyes turned towards the sky and she found threatening clouds looming over her. Thankfully, the haven she had chosen for both of them would keep out the rain but still, it didn't bode well for them if it started pouring. Picking up the clothes at her feet, she was glad to find out that they were almost dry. She folded them up and put them underneath one of the roots of the tree and as she did so, the downpour started.

Sakura groaned in annoyance and turned angered eyes towards the heavens. Their refuge wasn't very big and she would have to sit really close to Neji to prevent herself from getting wet. There was nothing she could do about it though, so she approached his still form and chose a spot near his injured shoulder. Bringing her knees up to her chin, she sighed in frustration, wondering how the other members of their team were doing. As soon as the Captain woke up they would have to go look for them; however, if the torrential rain which was falling down on them continued, then they would probably have to wait it out.

The lulling noise of the falling precipitation resounded in her ears and Sakura found her eyes closing. She decided she might was well get some rest while she could and fell into a light meditation, tuning her senses to let her know if there was any change in her surroundings.

Keeping this up for some time, she was eventually interrupted by a low moan. Emerald eyes snapped open and she looked down at Neji, who was apparently finally coming awake.

Sakura took her water canteen from her pack and placed it by her side, ready to give the prodigious Hyuuga something to drink since he would most likely need it.

"Neji," she whispered softly, helping him to come back into the waking world.

XXXXXXXXXX

He felt like if a five ton rock had fallen on top of him and had pinned him to the ground. His head thrummed a little and the back of his skull felt like if it was about to fall off. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to stay in this dark oblivion where he could feel nothing, to stay suspended in the shadows and not have to think about anything.

But something kept him from staying… a scent… a familiar and alluring scent. It was like the smell of flowers under the sunshine mixed with the refreshing fragrance of strawberries. Despite his lack of contact with the conscious world, this smell was wreaking havoc on his brain and somehow it made him want to open his eyes, to wake up… to face the pain which would eventually come because if he did, then he would see _her_.

"Neji", a soft female voice whispered near his ear and he found that he simply loved the way she said his name. "Neji."

He wanted nothing more than to go to her… she was calling him because she needed him… he _had_ to go to her…

With sheer strength of will he forced his body into waking and opened his eyes abruptly. The world spun violently and unable to focus on anything, he was forced to close them again. He felt a soft hand on his chest, keeping him from trying to sit up and steadying him through the transition.

After a few moments, things started to slow down and he breathed in deeply. His head ache became more acute but it wasn't as bad as he thought. He felt a stinging pain on his shoulder and he moved it unconsciously to assess the damage. As he did so, he realized that it was already bandaged and his eyes opened slowly just to gaze at the hand holding him down gently.

Amazed silver eyes looked at the slender fingers and turned towards his left just to see a pink haired kunoichi kneeling next to him, emerald eyes glazed with worry.

"Shhh," she said, coming closer and caressing his cheek with her other hand, "take it slowly… don't force it."

Surprisingly, the feel of her palm against his face made his body calm down considerably and he was in no position to fight the effect that her touch was having on him. He did as he was told, allowing his body to adjust, and after only a few moments, he felt increasingly better.

But Neji's mind finally caught up with him and the events which had led him to fall into the river came flooding back to him. Remembering how Sakura had been the one to come to his aid, he clearly recalled how she had been standing on the tree branch with two enemy shinobi as he was tumbling down.

Sitting up in a rush, he took hold of Sakura's arms, searching her over for injuries. "Are you alright? What happened? Are you hurt?"

A blush spread over her cheeks at his closeness and she was completely taken aback by the effect that his concerned touch was having on her. But she found herself smiling at the fact that, here he was, injured shoulder and all, and all he could worry about was her.

"I'm alright," she assured him, "you're the one you should be worried about! You gave me quite a scare."

Neji blinked, startled. For the first time, he looked around and took notice of their surroundings. He was sitting underneath a large stone which was leaning against a big tree behind Sakura; among the roots of the tree were mini-alcoves covered with moss where their packs and things were stashed away.

He suddenly noticed he was still gripping the pink haired medic by the arms and removed his hands as if he were holding hot coals. Breathing deeply and reminding himself that he was the leader of this mission which had suddenly fallen into disarray, he sat back and calmly asked Sakura to tell him what had happened.

Her inner persona wasn't extremely happy when he removed his warm hands and Sakura found that she wasn't either. He was once more assuming the roll of 'team Captain' and there was nothing she could do about it. Letting it slip for now, she started to tell him how she had managed to rescue him from the river after defeating the pursuing ninjas and tried very hard to ignore the fact that he was sitting shirtless in front of her, a few loose bangs of his onyx hair framing his face.

Once she finished speaking, Neji sighed in resignation. "Thank you," he told her softly, "I was extremely careless. I should've known that the shuriken was poisoned."

"You're very welcome so don't fret about it," she replied with a charming smile, noticing how his eyes pointedly avoided her.

"At least it's not as bad as it could've been; the rest of the team are probably hiding near the rendezvous point by now," he was saying, taking a look at their little sanctuary. "We're going to have to wait out the rain though."

"That's what I thought too," Sakura said, looking up at the still pouring sky. Somehow, she wasn't as annoyed with the rain anymore.

_It might have to do with the fact that you can now spend some time alone with him… and he's still shirtless!_ Inner Sakura interrupted in glee.

As the thought crossed her mind, the pink haired kunoichi couldn't avoid looking down at Neji's muscular tummy as he sat there in front of her in silent contemplation.

"Would you like some tea?" she blurted out and without waiting for his answer, she stood up, making her way towards her pack.

"I would love some," he told her. From the tone of his voice, she knew he was smiling but she didn't have the guts to look at him directly… at least not while there was nothing covering his upper body. Once more, she might do something she might regret.

Busying herself in preparing something to drink, Sakura took out a small pot she always carried in her pack and placed the tea leaves in it; she always carried all different kinds of tea, since most of them could be used for medicinal purposes. When she turned round, she found that Neji had already picked up some small dry branches from between the roots and had started a small fire for her.

Placing the pot on the fire after filling it up with some of her canteen water, Sakura returned to look for their cups. "We might need to wash these," she said out loud and walked towards the edge of the stone which served as a roof. She reached out and held the cups under the rain for a bit, washing them as best as she could. When she turned round, she found Neji looking at her with a wistful expression on his face, but as soon as she met his gaze, his façade turned neutral once more.

Sitting in front of the fire, the pink haired kunoichi stared at the flames in silence asthey waited for the water. Now that she had the chance, there were so many things she wanted to tell him, but she simply found that she didn't have the courage to do so. Movement brought her eyes up towards him and she saw Neji pull the tie from his hair.

Emerald eyes stared in wonderment as a cascade of black fell over his shoulders and partially covered his face. His silver eyes created a shocking contrast with the dark color of his locks and Sakura found that suddenly, she simply couldn't breathe.

The Captain commenced the tedious task of trying to smooth it out so he could tie it back up again and his face cringed in annoyance at the dozens of small knots his fingers met. He wasn't being very gentle about it though, and he kept pulling his hair roughly.

Before she could think about what she was doing, Sakura found herself walking over to him. Kneeling behind him, she took his hair in her hands and started smoothing it out for him, the gentle movements of her hands in complete disparity with his previous motions.

Neji _froze_. He sat completely and utterly still, not believing what was actually happening. Once more, he found that, as it was usually the case with the pink haired beauty, he didn't know if he should run away into the rain or to lean back against her.

In the end, he didn't do either. He simply sat immobile, not daring to move a muscle, as if he were in a dream which would disperse at the slightest interruption. But the tenseness of his muscles involuntarily decreased as the movements of Sakura's fingers continued and Neji found his eyes closing in pleasure. It felt _so_ good to have her caress his hair… it felt so peaceful… so _right._ Allowing himself the slightest moment of weakness, the Hyuuga prodigy relished in the closeness they were both suddenly sharing.

Seeing that he was finally relaxing, Sakura grew bolder. Her fingers kneaded in his hair and reached his scalp, massaging it softly. Careful not to touch the tender bump which had formed due to his previous fall, she thoroughly rubbed his skull, even going so far as to massage the top of his neck.

A low groan sounded from the vicinity of his chest when she came across an extremely sensitive spot just behind his ear, and Sakura found herself filing away its location for future references. She would've been happy to continue for hours, but the water in the pot started boiling and she was forced to stop her ministrations.

As Sakura took her hands away, Neji opened his silver eyes and could not help buy feel a little bereft. He looked at her as she prepared both their cups and sighing in resignation while his heart beat incessantly loud in his chest, he proceeded to tie his hair back up into a high ponytail.

They drank their tea in silence, each one not daring to look at the other. The intensity of the rain had lessened somewhat and only the sound of the falling drizzle could be heard all around.

Sakura knew she should say something… _anything_. But she found that her tongue suddenly felt like it weighed a ton and even though there were many things she wanted to tell him, to ask him, she simply couldn't do it.

_You can say anything you want but just **don't** remind him that he still hasn't put on a shirt_ Inner Sakura said lustily.

Unable to stop herself, Sakura giggled slightly at that, bringing her hand up to her mouth in embarrassment when Neji turned to look at her at the sound.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"Ermmm…," Sakura replied hesitantly, looking away.

_You idiot! This is your chance!_ Her inner persona exclaimed. _Say something to him._

"Well the situation's kind of funny," she said awkwardly, "I mean, that it should be you… and me, here… all alone."

Inner Sakura proceeded to faint at her banal words and the pink haired kunoichi wished for the ground to swallow her up. She had sounded so stupid!

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly and he looked at her face as if trying to discern something. Apparently, he found what he was looking for and used it as a basis to speak.

"Why would you think that?" he asked softly, his face carefully blank.

"Because… because…" Sakura started to say.

'Because your amazing silver eyes told me too much one day a few months ago and I've been obsessed with you ever since!' she thought in frustration.

Breathing in deeply, the pink haired medic calmed herself and mustered up her courage. She decided that a change in approach was in order.

"Don't you think we're grown closer lately?" she asked him, a half smile on her lips.

Silver eyes widened slightly, surprised at her question. He nodded slowly in answer.

"And don't you think it's great that we talk and see each other more?"

"Yes it is," he replied without hesitation, eyes still staring unbelievingly at her.

"I really enjoy your company Neji," she told him shyly, hoping he would get what she was insinuating.

"I enjoy your company too," he said, his face completely devoid of expression.

Sakura almost sweat dropped. How could anyone be so dense? But as she looked at him from under her eyelashes, his face utterly serious and his eyes not conveying anything, she began questioning herself and wondered if he had ever _really_ looked at her in the way she thought he had. Maybe she had imagined the whole thing, after all. In her need to fill her empty heart, maybe she had made up the whole scenario in her head, choosing Konoha's must handsome ninja as her lead actor.

It was probably all a figment of her over-imaginative brain.

"Are you done with that?" she asked, reaching over for his tea cup.

Suddenly confused, Neji couldn't do anything to prevent her from taking the cup he had placed at his side. He saw her stand up, and even though it was still raining a little, Sakura made her way towards the nearby river, a downcast expression on her face.

A low fog had settled over the landscape, settling between the tress of the adjacent forest. Being this close to Mist Country, it was more than expected, and Sakura found that the view perfectly reflected the sentiments of her heart at the moment.

She just needed five minutes by herself, that was all. She needed to get over her made up infatuation with Hyuuga Neji before returning once more to their hideout. If she didn't do this, she wouldn't be able to face him again since her feelings for him would somehow filter through and it was clear that he had no similar interest in her.

'Why do I always choose the uncaring bastards?' she thought morosely. 'It seems I'll never learn.'

But try as she might, she just couldn't forget the way he had let her smooth down his hair… the way he had moaned while she was massaging his scalp. If that wasn't a clear sign that he had enjoyed her ministrations, she didn't know what was. Growling in confusion, Sakura proceeded to wash their cups as best as she could in the river. Once she was done, she stood up and turned abruptly, only to bump into something standing right behind her.

Strong arms prevented her from falling to the ground as she stumbled and steadied her in their hold. Looking up, Sakura came face to face with Hyuuga Neji, who had seemingly approached her without making any sound.

Before she could start to wonder over the fact that he was such a good ninja, the pink haired kunoichi was immediately distracted by the closeness of his chin. If she stood up on tiptoe then she would be able to reach his lips. His warmth was radiating all through her body and the way his arms were holding her was suddenly making her blood flow faster through her veins.

Heart pounding in her ears, Sakura met his silver gaze and was taken aback by its intensity. The look he had given her before had been nothing to what she was now experiencing. Her breathing started to quicken as she abruptly realized that his face was starting to lean down towards her…

In that moment, time froze around her and there was nothing else in the world but Neji.

XXXXXXXXX

He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up… it was just plain stupid to do so. But she was talking so intimately and she was telling him that she enjoyed his company. And the way she had massaged his scalp just now… it was simply too much for his eager heart to handle.

In its treacherous manipulations, it had forced him to reveal a small part of himself by forcing him to voice the fact that he enjoyed her company too. Neji wanted to say more, so much more, but the tight reign he had always had over his emotions prevented him from doing so.

And suddenly, she had put an end to their conversation and had walked away, a look of sadness in her emerald eyes. Glued to the spot, the Captain could do nothing to prevent the wrenching pain in his chest as he watched her go, entering the low mist which had formed until he couldn't see her anymore.

What exactly could have upset her, he didn't know. All he knew was that she had left him alone because he couldn't voice what he was feeling, couldn't express the emotions which ruled him on the inside. Haruno Sakura would leave him because he didn't have the courage to tell her… to tell her that he would've willingly given his life to see her happy… that he would do anything in his power to make her smile.

In a moment of utter rebellion Hyuuga Neji stood up, refusing to sit around and be ruled by destiny once again. Against all the teachings of his family, teachings which had been engraved into his brain since he was very young, he walked out of their small refuge, intent on going after the woman he wanted.

Approaching her silently, he stood behind her, waiting for her to finish whatever she had was doing. But she turned unexpectedly and he was forced to catch her in his arms to prevent her from falling.

Sakura was suddenly too close to him and the feel of her small frame in his embrace felt so good it was indescribable. He had fantasized about such a scenario on countless of occasions, but no matter how many times he replayed it in his mind, nothing his brain could come with could even come close to the real thing. Feeling his control slipping with the view of her shining emerald eyes and enthralling lips so close, Neji followed what his instincts were telling him.

Leaning down towards her, his arms unconsciously tightened around her, as if preventing him from going anywhere. But when his lips were only a hairsbreadth away from hers, a striking thought flashed through his mind and he stopped abruptly.

Sasuke. Sakura was in love with Uchiha Sasuke.

He found he simply could not go on with what he was doing and he let her go suddenly, taking a step backwards.

"I'm sorry," he told her, his silver eyes looking at the ground. "I'm sorry I almost put you through this." And with that, he turned round and walked back towards their hidden camp.

Standing there like if she had been struck by lightning, Sakura didn't know what to think… or do. She had no idea of what had just happened… why the hell had he stopped, damn it?

Unable to prevent her temper from kicking in, she stomped her way back to their refuge, emerald eyes sparkling with anger.

"Neji, what is it?" she asked, hands on her hips.

The Hyuuga turned round to face her and was completely surprised to find her chakra swirling with rage.

"Is it because I'm not pretty enough? Am I not good enough from a descendant of the Hyuuga clan?" Sakura asked bitingly. She knew she was being stupid, but she was far from caring at the moment. Her heart was hurting and she needed to vent her frustration.

"Of course not!" Neji exclaimed, eyes wide at her words. "Sakura, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

Taken aback by his sudden confession, the pink haired medic suddenly swallowed the retort she had been preparing.

"Then why didn't you kiss me?" she asked, a hurtful tone in her voice.

Heart clenching at the look of pain which crossed her face, Neji found that he couldn't hide the truth from her anymore.

"Sakura, I'm going to be honest," he told her, managing to get past the lump in his throat. "I've admired you for a long time now… ever since our mission to Suna. I wanted to approach you but a part of me kept telling me that it wouldn't be right. Despite this fact, I did come to you, slowly at first, even though I never crossed the line. I just couldn't help myself from wanting to be near you and I was weak."

Jaw wide open at the words he was saying, the pink haired kunoichi stared at him in wonderment.

"But I promise you, I will keep my distance from now on. I promise I will leave you alone," he said, the strain in his voice evident.

"Why would you _do_ that?" Sakura asked in frustration, unable to follow his logic.

"Because I know you are still in love with Uchiha Sasuke," Neji said, his face suddenly devoid of emotion again.

That was _it_. That was the reason.

Breathing out deeply, Sakura was, in fact, relieved. At first she had thought that he had rejected her because of some fault of her own… because of something she had done. _Of course_ he would think of Sasuke; her infatuation with the Uchiha prodigy was extremely common knowledge and it was obvious that he would worry about it.

She would just have to teach Neji how wrong he was.

Looking up at him suddenly, green eyes alight with determination, the pink haired kunoichi decided to put the ANBU Captain out of his misery.

"I'll be the judge of that!" she exclaimed.

Coming forwards in a rush, she crossed the distance between them in a second and threw her arms around his neck. Standing on tiptoe, she crushed her lips against his, pressing herself against his body.

Startled for a moment, Neji thought he should push her away. But his surprise was short lived, since his brain was already processing the exquisite feeling of her body against his. The walls of his control collapsed abruptly against the onslaught of emotions Sakura was creating and the Hyuuga prodigy eagerly put his arms around her, embracing her tightly and pulling her even closer.

As he did so, his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth and he quickly took over the kiss. The pink haired kunoichi moaned as his tongue explored her thoroughly, leaving her completely breathless. After a moment, she couldn't resist the urge to touch him and she brought one of her hands down his back, caressing his skin softly.

Neji's muscles rippled in response to her light touch and he brought one of his hands up and kneaded his fingers in her short cherry hair. Pulling her head back slightly, he deepened their kiss even further, devouring her mouth in the process. All the months he had been fighting against his desire for the woman in his arms were finally catching up with him.

He simply found that he just couldn't get enough of her and finding himself immersed in her smell, in the sensations her body was creating in him, it was all too much for him to go up against. He kissed her for many long and blissful minutes, not wanting to relinquish her mouth until he had his fill.

But Neji knew that if he continued it would lead to other things and he didn't want to have Sakura here, in such an inappropriate setting. When he would finally come to make love to her, he wanted her to have a soft mattress underneath her and silken sheets caressing her skin while he murmured sweet nothings in her ear… he wanted the whole experience to be soul-stealing, for her to think and concentrate on nothing else but him.

Pulling reluctantly away from her, Neji watched her beautiful features as she tried to catch her breath. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled her intoxicating scent. Returning his embrace, Sakura sighed against his neck and smiled in complete contentment.

The Captain looked up suddenly and realized that it was starting to get dark.

"It looks like we'll have to spend the night here," he told her, "since I don't want to risk us getting lost among the mist, much less in the dark. It should clear up by dawn, though."

The pink haired medic merely nodded, not wanting to break the spell Neji's arms had her trapped in. But thoughts refused to leave her alone and her eyebrows creased slightly before she let out a mischievous giggle.

"I'm afraid there's only one blanket," she told him, "I only put one out to dry and our bedrolls are probably still wet."

"How convenient," he told her with a smile. "I'm almost sure you did it on purpose."

"I did not!" Sakura explained defensively.

"Well, do you think I can at least put on a shirt?" he asked, humor in his voice.

The pink haired kunoichi couldn't prevent the gleeful laughter which escaped her lips and echoed all around.

* * *

Let me know what you think! You have no idea how much your reviews mean to me. 


	3. Together

**A/N:** First of all, I'd like to apologize for the delay in putting this last chapter up. All I can say is that July was an extremely hectic month for me (career wise) and I had so many things going on that it was difficult to concentrate on one at a time.

I want to thank all of my readers for being so supportive! It always makes me extremely happy to know that you guys are enjoying my stories so I hope not to disappoint.

But enough rant… hope you like it!

* * *

**TOGETHER**

As the subtle light of the sunrise made its way through the leaves of the trees, Hyuuga Neji huddled Sakura a little closer, aware that he would have to wake her soon. He didn't want this new closeness they were sharing to end but there were duties and responsibilities he needed to attend to and he simply could not ignore them.

Always thinking of her first, Neji had volunteered to stay up all night standing watch so she could get some rest after having taken care of him all day; but the renowned medic would have none of it and was adamant in splitting the watch. She even insisted, much to Neji's aggravation, for her to go first, since the Captain might still need further recuperation from the poison which had temporarily invaded his system. Clearly, he thought this was preposterous but was caught completely off guard when the pink haired kunoichi unexpectedly used her mouth to prove her point.

Evidently, after a long and passionate kiss, the prodigy was simply unable to further defend his argument and Sakura ended up watching over him as he slept for the first half of the night.

It was bad enough that his heart had betrayed him with its devious feelings, but it was altogether disturbing to realize that his body was starting to do exactly the same. He simply couldn't prevent the reactions he had whenever she was close to him, whenever her skin brushed lightly against his or when her lips lingered softly over his after they kissed. And the fact that her cherry hair _was_ as soft as it seemed only helped to feed his rapidly growing obsession with her brightly colored locks. It was like he was discovering a whole new universe and there was no denying his curiosity.

Breathing in deeply, he shifted slightly under Sakura's weight. He had been sitting up against a tree for the entire time of his watch, with the pink haired kunoichi sleeping safely in his lap and leaning against his chest. Since they had only one blanket, they had decided this was the best position so both of them would be partially covered during the early morning cold. Wanting to have her near him now that they had finally come together, Neji didn't complain in the least and was more than happy to watch over her while she slept in his arms.

Unavoidably, his mind had wandered, as it was doing now, and it turned to things he really did not want to think of. How to tell his family that he was now 'dating' Haruno Sakura was the main issue which had been plaguing his mind for a while now. He was sure that they wouldn't have a problem accepting her into the family, with her being the Godaime's prized apprentice and an incredibly skilled shinobi. The Hyuuga clan didn't tolerate mediocrity, not even in the spouses the members of the family chose. But Neji had always known this would never be a problem for him, since he would never choose a woman unless she matched him as a ninja in her own way. The issue, then, rested on a completely different matter.

In the language of the Hyuuga clan, 'dating' was a direct synonym for 'courtship', which meant that if you were in a relationship with someone, your intent was focused clearly on a single goal: _marriage_. How he was going to explain to his family that he no intentions of marrying Sakura, at least not for the time being, would be problematic, since the clan tended to take this type of matters extremely seriously.

Anxiety was unavoidable, especially when he thought that he would have to tell Sakura at some point that his family would like to meet her and welcome her to the clan; an even which would be inevitable once he told them about her. The pink haired kunoichi would probably make a run for the nearest exit, he was sure of it. What a way to put pressure on the girl you were interested in…

The ANBU Captain sighed quietly as he tried to disperse the jumbled thoughts going through his mind. Why he hadn't thought about all this in the first place was beyond him at the moment, but he was sure that none of the problems he would soon face would have had any real influence on the feelings his heart harbored for the medic asleep in his arms. He would simply have to face the circumstances as they presented themselves, since hiding his relationship with Sakura was simply not an option. He did not want to hide and scurry like a criminal whenever anyone saw them together… it was simply not the way you treated a girl. Wanting to be free to love her and cherish her whenever he wished, Neji decided that the sooner Konoha realized that they were together, the better.

This decision would bring all kinds of changes to his life, but the prodigy was more than willing to face them. And as long as she was there with him, he knew there wouldn't be any challenge they wouldn't be able to overcome.

As the direct rays of the sun began to filter through the canopy, Neji nudged Sakura awake. As he had predicted, the prevailing mist of the day before was dissipating with the warmth of the sunlight and they would be able to travel without any problems.

Sleepy emerald eyes opened slowly as the pink haired kunoichi came back into the waking world. Despite their rustic location, she had been sleeping incredibly comfortably and wasn't inclined to leaving the protection of the ANBU Captain's arms… but it just couldn't be helped.

Sitting up slowly while taking the blanket with her, she turned round towards Neji, only to find him staring intently at her.

"Good morning", she said with a smile.

He nodded her way and leaned forward to press a soft kiss on her cheek. "We need to get going," he said, his responsibilities as Captain coming to the fore.

"I know," Sakura replied, her tone regretful. With that, she stood up and stretched, Neji doing the same behind her.

"We should have a quick breakfast," the kunoichi said after Neji had gathered their equipment. "I have some dehydrated fruit in my pack; it should be enough for both of us."

They ate the food in silence, each of them stealing glances at the other. As Sakura watched the prodigy wash down his portion of fruit with a few drinks of water from his canteen, the immensity of the situation she had plunged herself into started to settle in.

This was Hyuuga Neji: Konoha's top ANBU Captain and consequently one of the village's most skilled ninjas. He came from one of the most esteemed families in the history of Konoha, a clan who possessed one of the most advanced blood line techniques _ever_. He was all this and more… and the fact that she had kissed him and slept in his arms was somehow a little too much for her to deal with so early in the morning.

All she wanted to do was bring her hands to her face and giggle like a school girl.

But Haruno Sakura would not lower herself to such levels… at least not in public. Despite how improbable their circumstances were, they really had happened and she somehow knew that all they had shared up until now was only the tip of the iceberg.

If Neji had been so attentive and caring when he was restraining himself from loving her, how would he be now when he had allowed the walls around his heart to crumble?

Even with the warm rays of the sun falling partially over her body, the pink haired medic couldn't help but feel a chill of anticipation making its way up her spine.

"Let's go," the Hyuuga said, interrupting her thoughts. Turning distracted emerald eyes towards him, she found him standing nearby, his pack already on his back and his hand extended towards her.

"Yes," she said, leaning down to pick her own stuff. Once she was ready, she turned to him and took his proffered hand, earning her a smile and a sparkle from his silver eyes.

Together, they jumped as one into the trees, making their way hastily towards their comrades.

XXXXXXXXXX

"There's eight of them" Neji whispered directly in her ear.

They were hiding in behind a heavily leafed tree branch, inspecting the appointed rendezvous point below. Having arrived at the prearranged meeting place, the Captain and the medic had found the place empty of their team mates, while a small enemy group nestled within the undergrowth, waiting in ambush.

It was clear that they were no experts since they could easily be discerned by a trained shinobi eye. What was curious was the fact that there were no signs of their group; it was as if they had left long ago.

Neji overlooked the scene for the hundredth time and agreed with the hunch he had experienced when he first arrived: his team had left for Konoha some time ago, meaning that they had fulfilled their objective. The hostage had been retrieved and their mission accomplished, therefore, there was no point for them to remain in enemy territory since this would only expose the rescued politician to further danger.

If he were able to climb down from their hiding place and look around the abandoned camp site, the ANBU Captain was sure he would find a coded message hidden for him somewhere, informing him of the team's movements. This theory further explained the presence of the ambushers; thinking that the shinobi group would head back to their base camp once they had rescued the hostage, the enemy had set a trap for them and waited for their return.

In truth, they would be waiting forever since no Leaf shinobi would be stupid enough to return here after the successful completion of their objective.

It would have been easy to just leave the group of idiots in their obvious hiding places and leave without making a sound, but Neji reminded himself that _his_ mission hadn't been fulfilled. He still needed to eliminate the leader of this useless group, but for that, he needed to know the whereabouts of their rat lair… which meant he needed to question one of the fools below.

Lowering his ANBU mask over his face he turned to Sakura, only find her looking at him, as if waiting for his signal.

"You need one of them alive, right?" she whispered as she started putting her gloves on.

Chuckling soundlessly at her on-the-dot statement, he was once more amazed at how quickly her mind worked; she had come to the same conclusions he had without him giving her a single clue to his thoughts. She was more than a match for him when it came to intellect and he was sure that she would be equally matched when it came to fighting by his side.

In all honesty, Neji knew that he was more than capable of handling the inexperienced fighters below all by himself, but the truth was he didn't want to. He wanted to go into combat with the woman he had chosen beside him and he wanted to see how compatible they were in the battle field.

He had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Clasping her hand tightly for a moment, he nodded at her, signaling that he would be descending directly in the middle of the group, catching them by surprise.

Nodding in return, Sakura automatically knew that he wished for her to approach from behind, knocking out one of them as soon as possible, their unsuspecting informant secured.

Squeezing his hand back, the pink haired kunoichi saw his silver eyes glint dangerously a moment before Hyuuga Neji jumped from the branch and landed with a cat's grace on the ground below.

There was no time to waste.

Somersaulting backwards, Sakura landed soundlessly a small distance away, directly behind some bushes a couple of their enemies had chosen as a hiding spot.

Needless to say, the Captain was spotted immediately and four men jumped straight at him, weapons in hand. With very little effort, Neji dodged their simultaneous attacks, moving between them with amazing speed. His juken was already at work while he moved, delivering hits in all the key places, ceasing the chakra flow of his opponents effectively.

It was only a few seconds before all of them dropped to the ground, completely limp.

Wondering at the efficiency of her lover's quick movements for a moment, Sakura lounged forwards and with a quick jab, knocked out one of the men who were still in hiding. Seemingly, they had some sort of strategy planned, since not all of them emerged at the sight of Neji. It wasn't worth giving them credit though, for they could not even hope to stand up to two fully trained and expert shinobi.

Her movements caught the attention of the unconscious man's companion, a large thug who had been hiding behind an adjacent boulder next to the bush.

He moved forward, but his size did nothing to enhance his speed, therefore the pink haired kunoichi had no problem moving out of the way. Thanks to her vigorous taijutsu training with Lee, Sakura was too quick for the brute to land any blows. However, his size did improve his range and the katana he wielded only made things more difficult. The medic would have to move in really close to score a hit but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

Moving quickly, she danced round him as he swung his sword around like the amateur he was, slicing through the air. His movements were also extremely easy to predict, therefore when he made a large swing towards his right, Sakura, chakra already activated, twisted and landed in front of him, hitting him squarely in the jaw. Bones cracking with the impact of the blow, the thug flew across the air only to forcefully hit a large tree some distance away, cracks splintering across the thick bark.

Smiling behind his mask as he saw his pink haired beauty take out her opponent from the corner of his eye, Neji turned once more to his attackers, the only two men left standing, who had emerged from their hiding place once the jounin had bested their comrades. These were slightly smarter than the first, and they kept a safe distance from the Captain, using ranged weapons to try and injure him.

This would have been a smart technique if Neji had been any other man. Avoiding the incoming missiles as if they were no more than practice kunai, he stepped towards them and activated his kaiten when they were well within range of his attack. His chakra spiraled around him, easily catching his opponents inside his deadly whirlwind, sending them flying back against some nearby boulders.

Coming to abrupt stop, the Captain surveyed his handwork and walked towards Sakura, who was bringing their knocked out foe to a sitting position against tree trunk.

"Not much a challenge, was it?" she asked him as he approached.

Chuckling in humor, the silver eyed jounin nodded in complete agreement to her statement, coming to kneel beside her.

"Hopefully their leader will show a bit more skill," he said. "Do you have anything to accelerate his waking process?"

"I have just the thing," Sakura said with a smile. Reaching for her backpack, she rummaged around in it for a few seconds before her hand emerged holding a small vial. She took off the cork on top of it and a pungent smell emerged from its contents.

Turning her face to the side in an attempt to avoid inhaling the strong odor, the pink haired kunoichi placed the vial underneath the unconscious captive's nose.

The man's eyes flew open within a few seconds and he looked startled and confused at the two people kneeling in front of him.

Taking a kunai out from one of his secret pouches, Neji brought it swiftly up to the man's throat, silver eyes shining seriously behind his feline mask, his byakugan activated.

"We need some information," he stated simply, his voice cold and dangerous.

The way he spoke made the hairs on Sakura's arms stand on edge and she silently hoped she would never be on the receiving end of his anger.

Their captive turned scared brown eyes towards him, coming into clear focus with the palpable threat in the Captain's tone. Small drops of sweat appeared on his face, blatant evidence of his nervousness.

It was pitiful to see how very badly trained these men were.

Neji opened his mouth to speak once more, but stopped himself immediately. From the edges of his byakugan, he felt the incoming force of a strong chakra… and it was coming directly towards them. With lighting speed, he threw himself over Sakura, pinning her to the ground as a large blade flew above them, cutting deep into the tree and into the man they had been questioning.

Without wasting a breath, the Captain rolled with Sakura across the uneven ground as another attack from the sword hit the place where they had been lying. Once they were at a safe distance, Neji jumped into action, coming to a stand in front of their attacker.

The man stood eye to eye with the raven haired jounin, but had a considerably larger built. He was almost as twice as thick as Neji at the shoulders and he swung his large sword easily with a one handed grip. His thick brown hair was short and the cruel glint in his eyes only helped to identify him as the leader of this useless renegade group.

"Were you looking for me?" the man asked with a cruel smile, seemingly unafraid of the hunter nin standing in front of him.

"You just killed one of your comrades," Neji stated coldly, ignoring the question.

"Haha, so I have," he replied, amused. "He was an affordable loss if it meant that there was a possibility that I could take."

The Captain's eyes darkened further as he stared directly at the offending criminal.

Sakura watched the exchange with wide emerald eyes, not daring to move a muscle. When their enemy had expressed his contempt concerning the life of one of his men, the pink haired kunoichi saw Neji's muscles tense; his chakra started swirling in anger, but much to her amazement, it didn't do so in an erratic manner.

Whenever a person tuned in to their emotions and let their feelings control them, their chakra would usually fall into disarray, making combat all that more difficult. This was the reason why shinobi were always told to control their emotions no matter the circumstances, so they would not interfere with the task that needed to be accomplished.

But the Captain's chakra was not behaving like it should. Channeling his emotions directly, Neji managed to feed his energy flow in a completely controlled manner, never once losing his mind to the anger but using it increase his power.

It was something the pink haired medic had never seen before and it left her mouth agape.

'How is he _doing_ that?' she thought. But there wasn't time to ponder about the jounin's amazing abilities, since she saw him jump into action a second later.

Neji lunged towards the brute, who retaliated with a swing of his sword. Dodging it easily, he whirled around the renegade leader, trying to score a few hits but his range always fell short. He repeated the maneuver a few more times, always keeping his body just barely out of reach of his enemy's swings, intent on tiring him out when it became evident that he wouldn't be able to get past his defense.

The missing nin wasn't an amateur though and saw straight through the Captain's tactics after a couple of minutes of futile combat.

Deciding he needed to go on the offensive and eliminate his opponent as soon as possible, the thick man proceeded to attack, sending a series of precise sword swings in fast succession. The sleek Hyuuga managed to get out of the way just in time, but realized this man wasn't as inept as his trainees had been. This man's attacks had a purpose and he knew that a hit from his large weapon would inflict serious damage.

The problem was, his enemy wasn't giving him any clear openings and he needed to come in close contact so that his juken could do its fatal work.

But before he would come up with different tactic around his enemy's tight defense, Neji felt the rush of a quickly incoming chakra on the renegade shinobi's left. Surprise took over him for a second as he watched Sakura charge the large man with all her might, sending a vicious punch directly towards his face.

Dodging in the very last second, their enemy was able to divert the blow. Turning his attention to the newly arrived kunoichi, he swung towards her, but she was already out of the way by the time his sword reached the place where she was standing. Moving behind him, she was suddenly out of sight and as he turned round, the large man was met by the image of Neji's foot as it came towards him.

The Captain landed a direct hit on his shoulder, but this did little to deter the renegade leader. Swinging his sword again, he slashed out with impressive quickness but once more, his attack missed its target, who was already moving in for another hit from a completely different direction. Thinking that the kunoichi was definitely not a threat, especially with her slight and delicate frame, the man concentrated on Neji and went on the offensive again.

Sakura stayed ready and came in for another assault when she saw the brute get too close to Neji. But as she disengaged once again, she caught the Hyuuga's eyes for a moment and he signaled for her to wait.

As she watched him come in front of the renegade leader once more and allowed him to swing directly at him a few times, the pink haired kunoichi suddenly realized what he wanted her to do. Smiling at his tactics, she came forward, keeping to the side of the two combatants, waiting for her cue.

Neji walked backwards as the swings from the large man kept coming. He was going to use one of the oldest tricks in the book, but he had the impression that it was going to work. This man was no amateur, but he was definitely not one of the smartest ninjas to betray Konoha.

The brute seemed clueless as he kept swinging his way towards Neji, using a few slashing combos which would have dealt some significant damage. But the Captain kept going backwards and was always just barely out of reach… that is, until his back hit the surface of a large boulder and he didn't have anywhere to go.

Laughing at his imminent victory, the renegade leader played his part with a flourish and brought his sword up for a mighty downward swing. But in that instant, a flash of pink came rushing towards him, and as he held his weapon over his head, Haruno Sakura jumped up to land a vicious hit exactly where the blade of his sword met the hilt, shattering it into pieces.

Neji smiled at his girl's handiwork.

Not waiting for the large man to recover from his shock as the shards of metal started to fall around him, the Hyuuga prodigy went in for the kill. Landing the 64 Hands of Hakke in precise succession one after the other, the renegade leader's chakra flow was abruptly interrupted and he landed, as limp as a rag doll, on the ground, dead to the world.

Breathing deeply, Neji stepped over the body and turned it round with his foot, making sure that the man had been effectively terminated. Once he had made sure that his mission was successfully completed, he turned his attention to the pink haired kunoichi standing nearby.

In amazement, he looked at her and was, for an instant, short of words.

Blushing at the intensity of his silver eyes, Sakura finally found her voice after a moment. "Well, I couldn't let you take all the credit like you always do, could I?" she said teasingly, trying to dissipate the sudden tension.

Not answering her, Neji walked towards her as he lowered his mask. Taking her into his arms, he kissed her fully on the lips, holding her tightly to him as he stole her breath away with his tongue.

Under his assault, Sakura could do nothing but melt in his embrace, returning his kiss with as much passion as she could muster while her knees went weak.

After a few intense minutes, he released her mouth and looked deeply into her emerald eyes. Never in his life would he have thought that he would come to be with such an amazing woman... with such a skilled kunoichi. She had come to his aid in battle without him having to ask her; she had fought side by side with him and had made her best effort to watch his back while he went head on against his opponent. Not only that, but she had understood his signals and tactics perfectly, showing off her amazing shinobi skills in the process.

Even though he didn't show it, Hyuuga Neji was, in that precise moment, completely ecstatic.

She was all and more than he could have ever asked for and he wondered what other surprises she held in store for him.

Smiling as she saw him clearly lose himself in his thoughts, Sakura brought her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek lovingly and bringing him back to the present.

"Does that mean I have your approval?" she asked playfully, referring to the kiss they had just shared.

He nodded his head, a grin appearing on his lips. "Have you ever thought about trying out for ANBU? You would make an amazing assassin."

Laughing, Sakura answered his question. "Maybe, but I would require personalized training."

"_That_, dear lady, can be easily arranged," he replied, before devouring her mouth in a kiss once more.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Neji, how do you manage to do it?" Sakura asked. They were sitting around a small campfire in a forest clearing, the pink haired kunoichi's head leaning against the Hyuuga's shoulder as they watched the flames. They would be reaching Konoha before midday the next day and were enjoying their last night out in the open together.

"Do what?" he asked, perplexed.

"Control your emotions so efficiently," Sakura answered.

Eyes narrowing a little as he pondered her question, Neji slightly wondered where all this was coming from. "Well, ever since I was little, I've always had intense emotional training. In the Hyuuga clan, you learn to control your emotions ever since your start your shinobi preparation. Its part of the clan's tradition and children are taught to do so since the earliest years of their lives."

Sakura lifted her face to look at him, but found him staring intently at the fire. He may not have noticed it, but this was the first time he had spoken of his family to her.

"So, it's part of how they train you to use the juken and byakugan?" she asked curiously.

Surprisingly, he answered without hesitation. "Yes, you could say it is. My clan has always excelled when it comes to discipline and I guess its part of why we are such successful shinobi." He turned to look at her. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I saw you do something curious while you were fighting that missing nin," she told him, blushing slightly. "With all my medic training, I'm kind of an expert when it comes to reading a person's chakra. Whenever someone gets angry, their chakra starts to flow in complete disorder and it gets in the way of their fighting. You, however, were completely different. When you got angry at that renegade leader, you channeled into your anger and actually used it to fuel your techniques. I'm being honest when I tell you that it was completely amazing."

Lifting his arm, he put it over her shoulders and pulled her closer, his mind deep in thought. "Now that you mention it, I guess it is startling. I've been able to firmly control my emotions ever since I was very young, so I guess that it's no surprise that I can actually use them to my benefit during combat. No one had ever told me about it though and I never really paid much attention to it."

Sakura leaned her forehead against his neck, thinking about the words he had just spoken. "Neji, did you really control your feelings for me like that for so long?"

She felt him tense momentarily before he nodded in answer.

Sighing, the pink haired kunoichi put her arms around his middle. "Well, don't hide your emotions from me ever again, ok?"

Silver eyes stared at the flames for another moment before he tightened his hold on her and nodded his assent.

After all they had been through, it was the least he could do for her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tsunade stared at the couple before her while the ANBU Captain reported on the success of his mission, standing at attention in front of her desk, his face as stoic as ever.

In all honesty, she wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying and was actually trying to discern if her pupil had been able to accomplish the 'personal mission' she had set out to fulfill. From the way Neji was behaving, he was giving nothing away, but that was to be expected. A few intimate encounters with Sakura wouldn't be enough to crack his impassive shell but the Godaime was sure that if there was anyone who could penetrate the walls of his heart, it would be her apprentice… even if it meant that the pink haired kunoichi had to tear them down with her fists.

Sakura wasn't giving anything away either. She just stood by the Captain's side, looking normal, while he described the happenings of their trip. Well, you couldn't expect for the young medic to tell her sensei everything while their object of discussion stood right in front of them, hence, the Hokage realized that she would have to wait for all the juicy details.

Dismissing them a few minutes later, she allowed them a couple of days of rest before they were called to a mission again. Turning towards the stack of papers on her desk once more, Tsunade saw the ANBU Captain walk out the door, followed quickly by Sakura.

She was surprised however, when the door to her office failed to close completely as they left and she saw her apprentice squeeze partially back through the door, giving her a thumbs up and a wink before following her companion down the hall.

The Hokage's gleeful laughter resounded all through the building.

XXXXXXXXXX

Neji knew he had lost his mind, but he simply couldn't help it. He had parted ways with Sakura early in the afternoon but he was already finding that he missed her closeness and not having her near was having strange effects on his brain.

He had been welcomed back by Hiashi-sama himself and had shared some tea with his uncle and Hinata. He had been extremely tempted to tell them about Sakura but had wisely kept his tongue in check. It wouldn't be wise for word of their relationship to spread out through the clan, as he knew it would do, so soon after their return. Deciding that he'd better wait a bit longer and talk to Sakura about it, Neji had genuinely enjoyed his time with his family and was more than happy to retire early in the night, since the exhaustion from his mission was finally catching up with him.

Getting ready for bed, he crawled into his futon, barely able to keep his silver eyes open. He settled against his pillow and lost himself in dreams of brilliant cherry hair. But he was not to get the much needed sleep he craved.

After only a couple of hours, he was completely awake in his bed, and no matter how much he tossed and turned, he could not resume his slumber again. Sighing deeply, he looked at ceiling of his room, knowing very well what he was missing but not wanting to accept it.

Nevertheless, he had fought through his denial before and he knew that it wouldn't lead him anywhere. Standing up abruptly, Neji put on the first set of clothes he could find and left his room. He walked swiftly through the Hyuuga household, silent like a thief in the dark and was out the gate a few moments afterwards.

Arriving at his destination after only a few minutes, he knew she would probably be sleeping by then and decided to use a less standard entrance to her apartment. Looking up at the two story building, he jumped up towards what he thought was her bedroom window and landed in a kneeling position with ease upon the sill, silent as the ninja he was.

Silver eyes accustomed to the darkness quickly, since the light of a street lamp helped to brighten the room somewhat. He found her on the bed, a fine sheet covering her body but doing nothing to hide her well-formed curves. A physical ache throbbed all through his body at the sight of her and he didn't dare to move a muscle lest this vision before him disappeared with his movement.

He kept admiring her body openly and his eyes traveled all over her form, memorizing every bend and line of her grace. Belatedly, he concentrated his sight on her face, only to find her open eyes staring at him with a glint of humor.

"I had a feeling you would come," she told him calmly, finally sitting up on the mattress. "Who would've thought? A Hyuuga sneaking into a girl's bedroom in the middle of the night!" she finished, laughter in her voice.

Neji suffered her good-natured teasing stoically as he jumped from the window ledge onto the floor, removing his sandals as he did so. "I've always been known to rebel against family etiquette," he countered, approaching the bed.

Sakura giggled as he climbed in with her, sliding his muscled body beneath the sheets. "Really? And what other family establishments have you been known to break?"

"I think I'll show you just now," he replied, pulling her body towards his and kissing the pink haired medic full on the lips, his tongue demanding entrance to her mouth without any hesitation. Moaning as she felt his agile hands make their way down her body, Sakura was thrilled that he was finally here, with her in her bed and nothing to prevent them from enjoying each other's bodies.

Seemingly, they had both dreamed of this moment for a very long time and it was the moment to bring all those repressed desires to the surface.

Groaning as the beauty in his arms kissed him back with all the passion in the world, Neji decided that he really didn't care if someone found his room empty in the morning.

He guessed there was more than one way of letting his family know about his relationship with Haruno Sakura, but that would be dealt with at the appropriate time.

Right now, there were other matters which needed his immediate attention, and he proceeded to show the woman he loved what it was like to be the object of a Hyuuga's affection.

* * *

There you have it! I want to thank all of you for the support you've shown this story. I'm actually considering on writing a sequel to this, but not before I finish some of my other fics. Hehe.

Don't forget to leave your reviews!


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